Jerry Scheff
Jerry Scheff
Jerry Obern Scheff (born January 31, 1941) is an American bassist, best known for his work with Elvis Presley in the 1960s and 1970s as a member of his TCB Band and his work on The Doors' final recordings. Scheff grew up in the Vallejo, California. After serving in the U.S. Navy he returned to California, ending up in Los Angeles as a session musician. After working at the Sands nightclub in Los Angeles with 16-year-old Billy Preston, Merry Clayton, and Don "Sugarcane" Harris, he played on his first hit record, The Association's "Along Comes Mary" (1966). That success led to other early record appearances with Bobby Sherman, Johnny Mathis, Johnny Rivers, Neil Diamond, Nancy Sinatra, Pat Boone, Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Vinton, The Monkees, The Everly Brothers, Todd Rundgren, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 1971, he appeared on L.A. Woman, the final album recorded by The Doors with Jim Morrison, playing bass on every track save one.In July 1969, Scheff became a member of Elvis Presley's touring TCB Band. With the band, he performed in concert with Presley from July 31, 1969 to February 23, 1973 and from April 24, 1975 until Presley's final show on June 26, 1977 at the now defunct torn down Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana. He appears on Elvis Presley RCA Albums such as Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite (Elvis' 1973 live television concert), Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, On Stage, That's The Way It Is, Elvis As Recorded At Madison Square Garden, the documentary movie from 1972 Elvis On Tour, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee and Moody Blue, among others. In later years, Scheff worked with Elvis Costello, Crowded House, John Denver, Willy DeVille, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Sam Phillips, Demis Roussos, Richard Thompson, Chris Hillman, Bernie Leadon, Al Perkins, David Mansfield and many other artists. Scheff also was a bassist for Southern Pacific on their debut album. He also participated in the 1987 cable television concert Roy Orbison and Friends, A Black and White Night. In June 2009 he gave a sold out performance in Breda, Netherlands with the remaining TCB band members. Scheff has stopped touring with the TCB band due to creative and cultural differences. Scheff has 2 sons: Jason, born in 1962, and his younger son, Darin for 1963. Darin, who became a very successful businessman, followed in his brothers footsteps, as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter & vocalist. Jason was the bassist for the band Chicago from 1985 until May 2016. Jason Scheff co-wrote the song "Bigger Than Elvis" as a tribute to his father Jerry, featuring himself on vocals and Jerry on the bass guitar, though Jason kept the lyrics & vocals from Jerry to later surprise him, as the elder Scheff ( who was the tracks inspiration) when the song was completed for what was to be a March 1994 Album Release Chicago 22 / Stone Of Sisyphus. Scheff wrote the 2012 musical autobiography titled Way Down: Playing Bass with Elvis, Dylan, the Doors, and More: The Autobiography of Jerry Scheff.From 2013 to 2017 Scheff performed concerts in England with the singer Jenson Bloomer, playing the greatest hits of Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and the Doors. While in 2019 he made a concert entirely dedicated to The Doors.